The Incident of al-Ifk (The False Accusation)
حادثة الإفك
Summary
During the return from either the expedition of Banu al-Mustaliq or a related campaign, Aisha bint Abi Bakr was accidentally left behind when the army moved on at night. She was found and escorted back by Safwan ibn al-Mu'attal. Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul, the chief of the hypocrites, seized upon this to spread a slanderous accusation. For approximately a month, the Prophet and the Muslim community were deeply distressed until Allah revealed verses in Surah an-Nur (24:11–20) decisively vindicating Aisha.
Details
Aisha narrated the incident herself in detail. On the return journey, she had left the camp at night to relieve herself and upon returning discovered that her necklace had broken and gone missing. She went back to search for it, and during that time the men assigned to carry her howdah loaded it onto the camel without realising she was not inside, as she was light in weight. When she returned to find the camp had departed, she sat down expecting they would notice her absence and come back. She fell asleep and was found at dawn by Safwan ibn al-Mu'attal, who had been assigned to travel behind the army to collect anything left behind. He recognised her, as he had seen her before the command of hijab was revealed. He said nothing except 'Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un' (To Allah we belong and to Him we return), lowered his camel for her to mount, and led it by foot to rejoin the army. Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul then initiated a campaign of slander that some Muslims unfortunately repeated, including Mistah ibn Uthathah, Hassan ibn Thabit, and Hamnah bint Jahsh. The accusation caused immense grief to the Prophet, to Abu Bakr, and especially to Aisha, who fell ill from sorrow. The Prophet consulted Ali ibn Abi Talib and Usamah ibn Zayd; Usamah affirmed Aisha's innocence, while Ali advised the Prophet that there were many other women he could marry, though he also suggested questioning the household servant Barirah, who attested to knowing nothing but good of Aisha. For nearly a month, no revelation came regarding the matter. Then, while the Prophet was seated with Aisha and her parents present, the signs of revelation came upon him. He emerged smiling and said: 'Good news, O Aisha! Allah has declared your innocence.' Allah revealed ten verses in Surah an-Nur (24:11–20), declaring her innocence, rebuking those who spread the slander, and establishing the legal requirement of four witnesses for accusations of unchastity. Those who had spread the accusation were subjected to the hadd punishment of eighty lashes for false accusation of adultery. Abu Bakr, who had been supporting Mistah financially, initially swore to stop, but Allah revealed: 'Let not those of virtue among you swear not to give to their relatives' (24:22), upon which Abu Bakr resumed and even increased his support. This incident established critical principles in Islamic jurisprudence regarding the protection of honour and the gravity of unsubstantiated accusations.